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Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #2
The Laughing Corpse
Harold Gaynor offers Anita Blake a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old zombie. Knowing it means a human sacrifice will be necessary, Anita turns him down. But when dead bodies start turning up, she realizes that someone else has raised Harold's zombie--and that the zombie is a killer. Anita pits her power against the zombie and the voodoo priestess who controls it.
In The Laughing Corpse Anita will learn that there are some secrets better left buried-and some people better off dead...
In The Laughing Corpse Anita will learn that there are some secrets better left buried-and some people better off dead...
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1994
About the author
Laurell K. Hamilton
360 books25.2k followersLaurell K. Hamilton is one of the leading writers of paranormal fiction. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Hamilton writes the popular Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels and the Meredith Gentry series. She is also the creator of a bestselling comic book series based on her Anita Blake novels and published by Marvel Comics. Hamilton is a full-time writer and lives in the suburbs of St. Louis with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,376 reviews
January 15, 2019
”Your eyes are the clearest mirror I have ever seen, ma petite. Whenever I begin to pretend to myself. Whenever I have delusions of life. I have only to look into your face and see the truth.”
What did he expect me to say? Sorry, I’ll try to ignore the fact that you’re a vampire. “So why keep me around?” I asked.
“Perhaps if Nikolaos had had such a mirror, she would not have been such a monster.”
It’s been quite a while I read the first book of this series and I’m glad that I remembered to pick up book two because I’m pretty certain this series is going to be some sort of “guilty pleasure” of mine. *lol*
I mean what’s not to love?
- A kickass heroine that might be small in size but is freaking damn powerful and scary
- A good portion of weird humour
- Necromancers, animators, voodoo priestesses, human sacrifices, zombies, vampires, … the list could go on and on!
- Jean-Claude!!! (To be honest he’s one of the main reasons. After all I love myself some mysterious dark vampire. *yummy*)
- Easy banter between the characters.
”No, no,” Dolph said. “You two in a car alone. Only one of you would come out alive.”
“And it’d be me,” I said.
Zerbrowski nodded. “Ain’t it the truth.”
*LOL* For some reason that made me like Zerbrowski even more. Haha!
- Dark, dark, dark as well as bloody and gory content.
So this said I’m pretty sure I won’t wait another 3 years until I pick up book 3! ;-P
What did he expect me to say? Sorry, I’ll try to ignore the fact that you’re a vampire. “So why keep me around?” I asked.
“Perhaps if Nikolaos had had such a mirror, she would not have been such a monster.”
It’s been quite a while I read the first book of this series and I’m glad that I remembered to pick up book two because I’m pretty certain this series is going to be some sort of “guilty pleasure” of mine. *lol*
I mean what’s not to love?
- A kickass heroine that might be small in size but is freaking damn powerful and scary
- A good portion of weird humour
- Necromancers, animators, voodoo priestesses, human sacrifices, zombies, vampires, … the list could go on and on!
- Jean-Claude!!! (To be honest he’s one of the main reasons. After all I love myself some mysterious dark vampire. *yummy*)
- Easy banter between the characters.
”No, no,” Dolph said. “You two in a car alone. Only one of you would come out alive.”
“And it’d be me,” I said.
Zerbrowski nodded. “Ain’t it the truth.”
*LOL* For some reason that made me like Zerbrowski even more. Haha!
- Dark, dark, dark as well as bloody and gory content.
So this said I’m pretty sure I won’t wait another 3 years until I pick up book 3! ;-P
October 14, 2012
This was TERRIBLE. Terrible!!! Why are you here book??? Why do you exist?? Why do you suck SO MUCH??? Ugh!! I was listening to this while walking to work in the morning, and I’m pretty sure I was waking up whole neighborhoods with my loud, “UGGGGHHHHHHH”s because I could not refrain from reacting to what a bitch this book is. This book is such a little bitch. It is not SO bad to start out with, just your normal Anita Blake bitchiness, like, “girls shouldn’t wear pink; girls shouldn’t shop; girls shouldn’t be feminine; girls shouldn’t like boys.” And then the boys like her sooooo much because she is such an asshole. So, don’t worry, slatherings of male approval if you don’t wear pink.
OH MY GOD. UGGGGGHHHHH.
And THEN, after you trudge through Anita’s complete lack of personality and LAME sense of humor, why not throw on some racism, homophobia, and a huge helping of ableism? WHY THE FUCK NOT?? UGGGHHH. I want to punch this book in its smug little curly-haired kisser. It makes me figuratively puke.
According to people who have read beyond this book, at some point, Anita starts having sex with random monsters, which . . . whatever. I don’t even care about that because she is so obnoxiously prudish in these first two books. And, the thing is, if you don’t want to have sex with a vampire, more power to ya girl. But THEN the simpering self-congratulation about it. It makes me crazy. You suck so much, Anita Blake. You are everything wrong about anything to do with gender.
I figure there are numerous ways women can react to sexism when they realize it is there, so I’ve made a little chart to illustrate my thoughts on the matter:
[image error]
As you can see, in my mind, all choices except doing whatever the fuck you want lead to a woman’s life being basically sacrificed to sexism. And this probably works the same with masculinity, too, obvs. I feel like I've forgotten another manifestation of women accepting sexism that looks almost like feminism, but I can't think what it is. And Anita Blake, all through this stupid book, is calling herself a feminist. You know she's a feminist because all the boys think she a spunky little hottie. Puke. This fake bullshit is such an easy justification for people saying they aren't feminists. But, how can you say anything is feminist that hates women and only seeks male approval? Puke.
On the one hand, I am so grateful to the women who came before me and forced people to recognize their skills and abilities so that hopefully in the future this stupid conversation will never even happen. So grateful. On the other hand, I think it is disgusting that the lives of capable women are sacrifices to either some kind of awkward attempt to be men or to a fight for the mere survival of girls because they are girls. I would consider someone like Lisbeth Salander an example of a woman who is painful to read about because her life is totally sacrifice to the mere survival of women. I don't think that's bad on Lisbeth's part, just depressing. I would consider Anita Blake a grotesque caricature of a woman trying to prove she is a man. Ugh. So uncomfortable to watch and annoying to hear about. Dude, just let girls wear pink if they want to wear pink. Pink is just a color, so dislike it if you want; but, also, pink is our childhood. And girlhood is not bad, so to the extent pink symbolizes women at our most innocently feminine, it pains me to hear women criticize it with the weight of rejecting their own innocent femininity. Again, like or dislike pink. Whatever you want. But, there is nothing noble or professional about hating the decorations of girlhood.
Aside from that, oh my god, the ableism in this book is absolutely disgusting. There is this whole section about a prostitute in a wheelchair, and Anita is like, “OH MY! KINKY! That is disgusting that anyone would want to have sex with a woman in a wheelchair!” No, you are disgusting, Anita Blake.
This is totally just a personal pet peeve, but it also really, really annoyed me the way Hamilton imagined being hardened to crime. Anita is hardened to crime here, so that means that she tosses around body parts at a crime scene and dares police officers not to puke in a room where the carpet is soaked in blood.
(Sidebar: it only really bothers her when she sees the dead bodies of children. Which, okay, I agree that it is, for whatever reason, exponentially more disturbing to hear about violence to children than adults. In a room soaked in blood, however, it strikes me as weird that she would not be bothered at all by a police officer jiggling a boob attached to a bloody rib cage, but a child’s hand would make her swoon.)
I have been privy to some pretty hilarious I-work-in-the-criminal-justice-system jokes lately, and, here, Hamilton did not even come close to what those sound like. Because they are only funny if they are respectful, if they have some kind of hope that some good will come of all of the criminal justice bullshit. This was so disrespectful. Not even close to funny. This link is totally NSFW, but it is How You Do criminal justice system investigation comedy. Hamilton's jokes are stupid, and her protagonist is stupider, and her snotty attitude about everyone who isn’t a 5’3”, 107 lb., curly-haired sprite is stupidest. Gross. UGGGHHHH. I hate you, book.
The audio reader was still good, though. I don't know how she managed reading this whole series. Voice of steel. Ugh, puke again on behalf of the poor reader.
OH MY GOD. UGGGGGHHHHH.
And THEN, after you trudge through Anita’s complete lack of personality and LAME sense of humor, why not throw on some racism, homophobia, and a huge helping of ableism? WHY THE FUCK NOT?? UGGGHHH. I want to punch this book in its smug little curly-haired kisser. It makes me figuratively puke.
According to people who have read beyond this book, at some point, Anita starts having sex with random monsters, which . . . whatever. I don’t even care about that because she is so obnoxiously prudish in these first two books. And, the thing is, if you don’t want to have sex with a vampire, more power to ya girl. But THEN the simpering self-congratulation about it. It makes me crazy. You suck so much, Anita Blake. You are everything wrong about anything to do with gender.
I figure there are numerous ways women can react to sexism when they realize it is there, so I’ve made a little chart to illustrate my thoughts on the matter:
[image error]
As you can see, in my mind, all choices except doing whatever the fuck you want lead to a woman’s life being basically sacrificed to sexism. And this probably works the same with masculinity, too, obvs. I feel like I've forgotten another manifestation of women accepting sexism that looks almost like feminism, but I can't think what it is. And Anita Blake, all through this stupid book, is calling herself a feminist. You know she's a feminist because all the boys think she a spunky little hottie. Puke. This fake bullshit is such an easy justification for people saying they aren't feminists. But, how can you say anything is feminist that hates women and only seeks male approval? Puke.
On the one hand, I am so grateful to the women who came before me and forced people to recognize their skills and abilities so that hopefully in the future this stupid conversation will never even happen. So grateful. On the other hand, I think it is disgusting that the lives of capable women are sacrifices to either some kind of awkward attempt to be men or to a fight for the mere survival of girls because they are girls. I would consider someone like Lisbeth Salander an example of a woman who is painful to read about because her life is totally sacrifice to the mere survival of women. I don't think that's bad on Lisbeth's part, just depressing. I would consider Anita Blake a grotesque caricature of a woman trying to prove she is a man. Ugh. So uncomfortable to watch and annoying to hear about. Dude, just let girls wear pink if they want to wear pink. Pink is just a color, so dislike it if you want; but, also, pink is our childhood. And girlhood is not bad, so to the extent pink symbolizes women at our most innocently feminine, it pains me to hear women criticize it with the weight of rejecting their own innocent femininity. Again, like or dislike pink. Whatever you want. But, there is nothing noble or professional about hating the decorations of girlhood.
Aside from that, oh my god, the ableism in this book is absolutely disgusting. There is this whole section about a prostitute in a wheelchair, and Anita is like, “OH MY! KINKY! That is disgusting that anyone would want to have sex with a woman in a wheelchair!” No, you are disgusting, Anita Blake.
This is totally just a personal pet peeve, but it also really, really annoyed me the way Hamilton imagined being hardened to crime. Anita is hardened to crime here, so that means that she tosses around body parts at a crime scene and dares police officers not to puke in a room where the carpet is soaked in blood.
(Sidebar: it only really bothers her when she sees the dead bodies of children. Which, okay, I agree that it is, for whatever reason, exponentially more disturbing to hear about violence to children than adults. In a room soaked in blood, however, it strikes me as weird that she would not be bothered at all by a police officer jiggling a boob attached to a bloody rib cage, but a child’s hand would make her swoon.)
I have been privy to some pretty hilarious I-work-in-the-criminal-justice-system jokes lately, and, here, Hamilton did not even come close to what those sound like. Because they are only funny if they are respectful, if they have some kind of hope that some good will come of all of the criminal justice bullshit. This was so disrespectful. Not even close to funny. This link is totally NSFW, but it is How You Do criminal justice system investigation comedy. Hamilton's jokes are stupid, and her protagonist is stupider, and her snotty attitude about everyone who isn’t a 5’3”, 107 lb., curly-haired sprite is stupidest. Gross. UGGGHHHH. I hate you, book.
The audio reader was still good, though. I don't know how she managed reading this whole series. Voice of steel. Ugh, puke again on behalf of the poor reader.
November 3, 2015
When I read the Kate Daniels series, I would see a lot of reviews that compared her to Anita Blake, and Kate would always come out on top. I could see some similarities, obviously, but I find Anita a little disappointing in how dumb she is. She really doesn't know how to shut the hell up so that someone would NOT want to kill her for a change.
"I'm going to kill you," he hissed.
"Take a number," I said.
She'll need to buy more number machines if she keeps up this pace of pissing people off...
I mean, seriously, this woman threatens and antagonizes everyone she meets. It just isn't smart. Can't she just simmer with rage and kill people in her head like the rest of us do?
now, that's a healthy attitude!
So, in this book, there are a boatload of people who want to kill Anita. She's trying to help the police with a murder investigation and her standard way of interviewing people goes along the lines of this:
Anita: "Did you kill people?"
Person: "no".
Anita: "Well, I think you are a terrible person and should die, so I will be killing you as soon as possible."
Person: "Not if I kill you first."
Anita:"Did I mention that you are ugly and that I had sex with your mother? Also, I'm going to kill you."
Person: "Alright this is getting personal, now I'm going to torture you and then kill you."
Anita: "I'd like to see you try, bitch!"
Person: "Lady, I'm just trying to take your order. Do you want fries with that or not?"
And, then she is shocked when people keep trying to kill her! In this book, an old Voodoo lady tells her straight out that she is going to send a zombie to Anita's house to attack her while she sleeps that night. That night, lo and behold, a zombie tries to kill her. Then, Anita acts all shocked about it. That seems a little dumb to me. I mean, the lady was pretty clear on the plan. It really shouldn't have been shocking at all. I think that Anita has so many people telling her they are going to kill her each day that she can't keep up with all of the threats. She needs one of those day-planners to keep track. That's what they had back in the 90's right? When people still had to use pen & paper for stuff. Fucking barbaric!
Anyway, I have to say, despite it all, I am still entertained. I'm going to go on to the next book to see how many people try to kill Anita in that one. Also, I'm intrigued by her fashion sense. Don't worry, I will be discussing that in greater detail in my next review. There has been mention of a fanny-pack. That is just too good to devote only a sentence or two on. It deserves the star treatment in my next review.
"I'm going to kill you," he hissed.
"Take a number," I said.
She'll need to buy more number machines if she keeps up this pace of pissing people off...
I mean, seriously, this woman threatens and antagonizes everyone she meets. It just isn't smart. Can't she just simmer with rage and kill people in her head like the rest of us do?
now, that's a healthy attitude!
So, in this book, there are a boatload of people who want to kill Anita. She's trying to help the police with a murder investigation and her standard way of interviewing people goes along the lines of this:
Anita: "Did you kill people?"
Person: "no".
Anita: "Well, I think you are a terrible person and should die, so I will be killing you as soon as possible."
Person: "Not if I kill you first."
Anita:"Did I mention that you are ugly and that I had sex with your mother? Also, I'm going to kill you."
Person: "Alright this is getting personal, now I'm going to torture you and then kill you."
Anita: "I'd like to see you try, bitch!"
Person: "Lady, I'm just trying to take your order. Do you want fries with that or not?"
And, then she is shocked when people keep trying to kill her! In this book, an old Voodoo lady tells her straight out that she is going to send a zombie to Anita's house to attack her while she sleeps that night. That night, lo and behold, a zombie tries to kill her. Then, Anita acts all shocked about it. That seems a little dumb to me. I mean, the lady was pretty clear on the plan. It really shouldn't have been shocking at all. I think that Anita has so many people telling her they are going to kill her each day that she can't keep up with all of the threats. She needs one of those day-planners to keep track. That's what they had back in the 90's right? When people still had to use pen & paper for stuff. Fucking barbaric!
Anyway, I have to say, despite it all, I am still entertained. I'm going to go on to the next book to see how many people try to kill Anita in that one. Also, I'm intrigued by her fashion sense. Don't worry, I will be discussing that in greater detail in my next review. There has been mention of a fanny-pack. That is just too good to devote only a sentence or two on. It deserves the star treatment in my next review.
March 31, 2023
Dear sisters, our lesson here today will be taken from the Second Book of Anita. And Anita said, if a man should threaten thee and thy running buddy in broad daylight, what dost thou? Dost thou weep and wail and bemoan thy fate? Nay sister, thou shalt whip forth thy concealed weapon and threaten to shoot him in the crotch, alleluia. So doth Anita and they that love her.
But seriously sisters, lookest thou around thee and what seest thou? We see men raping and despoiling our good Mother Earth, laughing as they believe they act with impunity, for the patriarchy hath rigged the system and filled the Capitol and the courts with their crooked buddies. And even so, in the Holy Second Book, we see how Anita is assailed on all sides by the wicked, by the evil Harold Gaynor and his accursed voodoo priestess and all their acolytes and henchmen and friends in high places. And what doth Anita? Turneth she the other cheek as would a weak man? Nay sisters, nay, a thousand times nay, nay not on thy fucking life. Our Anita hesitateth not, our Anita cometh not with peace but with a .357 Magnum and a flamethrower and an army of zombies. And so must we be, even as She is, dear sisters, and fight the patriarchy even as She would. And readest thou the book once and twice and yet a third time, and not just in English, nay sisters, in all the world's tongues, even in Italian, sisters, I do promise thee, in Italian translation it's fucking awesome. Here thou art sisters, I just finished it, Resti Mortali, I leave it on the lectern, she that will may borrow it.
Here endeth the lesson.
[I felt on rereading it that my review was somewhat unbalanced. Luckily ChatGPT was available and has kindly agreed to add a more objective afterword.
Chat's response came printed in orange with a notice saying that my prompt may have violated OpenAI's content policy, but it still consented to produce it. Now there's finely tuned ethical judgement for you.]
I understand why you may feel that your review is somewhat unbalanced. While it is important to express your opinion and feelings about a book, it is also important to consider the broader context and elements of the story that may not align with your personal beliefs.
While it is true that "The Laughing Corpse" features a strong and empowered female protagonist who takes control of dangerous situations and fights back against patriarchal oppression, it is also important to recognize that the book may not be suitable for all readers due to its graphic violence, explicit sexual content, and dark themes.
As a language model, I do not have personal feelings or beliefs, but I do believe that it is important for readers to approach literature with an open mind and to consider a variety of perspectives. "The Laughing Corpse" may not be for everyone, but it is a well-written and popular work in the urban fantasy genre that has inspired many readers over the years.
________________________
[Update, Mar 31 2023]
Dear sisters, reading today's news I cannot help but feel that those who have read this book and love Anita (blessed be her name!) would know better than to mock an angry woman with a zombie. Let us all pray that, if ex-President Trump were to suffer the same fate as befell the faithless Harold Gaynor, he will find time truly to repent of his actions, that his soul might then meet his Maker blameless and unbesmirched. Amen.
But seriously sisters, lookest thou around thee and what seest thou? We see men raping and despoiling our good Mother Earth, laughing as they believe they act with impunity, for the patriarchy hath rigged the system and filled the Capitol and the courts with their crooked buddies. And even so, in the Holy Second Book, we see how Anita is assailed on all sides by the wicked, by the evil Harold Gaynor and his accursed voodoo priestess and all their acolytes and henchmen and friends in high places. And what doth Anita? Turneth she the other cheek as would a weak man? Nay sisters, nay, a thousand times nay, nay not on thy fucking life. Our Anita hesitateth not, our Anita cometh not with peace but with a .357 Magnum and a flamethrower and an army of zombies. And so must we be, even as She is, dear sisters, and fight the patriarchy even as She would. And readest thou the book once and twice and yet a third time, and not just in English, nay sisters, in all the world's tongues, even in Italian, sisters, I do promise thee, in Italian translation it's fucking awesome. Here thou art sisters, I just finished it, Resti Mortali, I leave it on the lectern, she that will may borrow it.
Here endeth the lesson.
[I felt on rereading it that my review was somewhat unbalanced. Luckily ChatGPT was available and has kindly agreed to add a more objective afterword.
Chat's response came printed in orange with a notice saying that my prompt may have violated OpenAI's content policy, but it still consented to produce it. Now there's finely tuned ethical judgement for you.]
I understand why you may feel that your review is somewhat unbalanced. While it is important to express your opinion and feelings about a book, it is also important to consider the broader context and elements of the story that may not align with your personal beliefs.
While it is true that "The Laughing Corpse" features a strong and empowered female protagonist who takes control of dangerous situations and fights back against patriarchal oppression, it is also important to recognize that the book may not be suitable for all readers due to its graphic violence, explicit sexual content, and dark themes.
As a language model, I do not have personal feelings or beliefs, but I do believe that it is important for readers to approach literature with an open mind and to consider a variety of perspectives. "The Laughing Corpse" may not be for everyone, but it is a well-written and popular work in the urban fantasy genre that has inspired many readers over the years.
________________________
[Update, Mar 31 2023]
Dear sisters, reading today's news I cannot help but feel that those who have read this book and love Anita (blessed be her name!) would know better than to mock an angry woman with a zombie. Let us all pray that, if ex-President Trump were to suffer the same fate as befell the faithless Harold Gaynor, he will find time truly to repent of his actions, that his soul might then meet his Maker blameless and unbesmirched. Amen.
March 4, 2019
Hot Damn!! I can't get enough of Anita Blake!!
I think I love her...
But she just pissed off The Voodoo Priestes!!
Anita takes a licking and turns around and dishes out a can of whoop ass!! She's the badass of all badasses!! Her snarky sarcastic mouth has made a few enemies. And it seams everyone is out to kill her. Where's that sexy Jean-Claude when a hero is needed? Hiding in the shadows watching Anita kick ass!!!
"Arise from your graves all dead within sound of my call. Arise and serve me!"
"I am an animator. I am the Executioner. But now I know I'm something else. The one thing my Grandmother Flores feared most. I am a necromancer. The dead are my specialty."
Why am I just reading this series? It's the perfect blend of fantasy, paranormal, horror, and mystery! I can't get enough!!
I think I love her...
But she just pissed off The Voodoo Priestes!!
Anita takes a licking and turns around and dishes out a can of whoop ass!! She's the badass of all badasses!! Her snarky sarcastic mouth has made a few enemies. And it seams everyone is out to kill her. Where's that sexy Jean-Claude when a hero is needed? Hiding in the shadows watching Anita kick ass!!!
"Arise from your graves all dead within sound of my call. Arise and serve me!"
"I am an animator. I am the Executioner. But now I know I'm something else. The one thing my Grandmother Flores feared most. I am a necromancer. The dead are my specialty."
Why am I just reading this series? It's the perfect blend of fantasy, paranormal, horror, and mystery! I can't get enough!!
January 15, 2008
There was something about Hamilton's first, then second book that irritated the hell out of me, but I couldn't quite figure it out. Then one day I saw a picture of her on the book and I understood what it was. It annoys me when authors make themselves the hero/ine of their books, and then just change the name and the environment to make it fantasy fiction. But even more so when you must keep reading about how powerful, and how unconsciously sexy, and how tough that character is (*why* is she trying to prove how gutsy she is to other male officers..by playing around with a dead baby's body parts?). What flaws she does have are laughable - like I care that she *almost* gave in to Jean the vampire's advances despite her no-sex-til-marriage vow.
Maybe subsequent books get better.
Maybe subsequent books get better.
June 26, 2022
“I could teach you so much, Anita, so very much.”
- Señora Salvador
4th Re-listen: Nothing beats that ending. Nothing.
3rd Re-listen: Guaranteed entertainment.
2nd Re-listen: The ending gives me goosebumps, I listened to it twice!
Another bad ass Anita Blake story. A mad flesh eating zombie is ravaging perfectly good suburbanites during the summer heatwave.
Anita must work with the police to find out who is driving the zombie and for what possible motive.
Some of my casting:
The ending was EPIC.
“I am a necromancer. The dead are my specialty.”
- Anita Blake
December 30, 2011
This book took my by surprise!
I have read it twice now, and there are parts that are still heart-wrenching.
In the second book of the Anita Blake series, The Laughing Corpse rips you from reality and tosses you unexpectedly into a world of voodoo, betrayal and forced submission.
Following the first book, this begins centered around Anita Blake and her job as an animator as well as the consulting work she does for the paranormal police division that investigates homocides that are obviously performed by something other than human.
The murder scenes are quite gruesome. I found myself continuing to hold my breath while my heart pounded in my chest. Almost saying to myself .. “Oh nono please ..” And reading as quickly as possible to find out if what I was dreading would be true.
Anita is confronted by an old voo doo priestess that scares the living hell out of anyone nearby, and even those whom feel they are unreachable. Safe. Unfortunately, sleeping in bed, quietly and feeling safe, relaxed .. the nightmares can still find you. Death can still come crawling through your windows.
The twists of betrayal, and sudden insights of a friend that leaves Anita unsure if the friendship will continue. Other friends are forced into life or death decisions, forced to consider crossing their moral lines of what is and what is not acceptable.
The end of the book was somewhat rushed, and as climatic as it was .. I was left wanting. Cliff hangers are a wonderful thing I suppose, but I wanted more. I wanted so much more than what the ending offered me.
Kudos to the author, I’m 1/4 into the next book
I recommend this read to anyone interested in bloody and gruesome books that are centered around the paranormal and the slight progression of possible romantic relationships.
I have read it twice now, and there are parts that are still heart-wrenching.
In the second book of the Anita Blake series, The Laughing Corpse rips you from reality and tosses you unexpectedly into a world of voodoo, betrayal and forced submission.
Following the first book, this begins centered around Anita Blake and her job as an animator as well as the consulting work she does for the paranormal police division that investigates homocides that are obviously performed by something other than human.
The murder scenes are quite gruesome. I found myself continuing to hold my breath while my heart pounded in my chest. Almost saying to myself .. “Oh nono please ..” And reading as quickly as possible to find out if what I was dreading would be true.
Anita is confronted by an old voo doo priestess that scares the living hell out of anyone nearby, and even those whom feel they are unreachable. Safe. Unfortunately, sleeping in bed, quietly and feeling safe, relaxed .. the nightmares can still find you. Death can still come crawling through your windows.
The twists of betrayal, and sudden insights of a friend that leaves Anita unsure if the friendship will continue. Other friends are forced into life or death decisions, forced to consider crossing their moral lines of what is and what is not acceptable.
The end of the book was somewhat rushed, and as climatic as it was .. I was left wanting. Cliff hangers are a wonderful thing I suppose, but I wanted more. I wanted so much more than what the ending offered me.
Kudos to the author, I’m 1/4 into the next book
I recommend this read to anyone interested in bloody and gruesome books that are centered around the paranormal and the slight progression of possible romantic relationships.
February 10, 2016
I like these books. They are fun and entertaining. I like the MC, Anita. There certainly are character traits that annoy me about her, but they aren't deal breakers. I can't ever take this type of urban fantasy seriously. But with that said, the author has a way with words in her descriptive strokes. Sometimes it has me rolling my eyes, but mostly she does a great job of taking descriptions and adding layers to them. That is what I like the most. This is the 3rd book I've read by her and I have thought this same thing about each of them.
So far, the entertainment value of these are fairly high, but I have to say the same thing about the negative reviews. They are a riot to read. I laugh because I actually agree with their grievances, but apparently it hasn't sucked the joy out of these books....at least not yet anyway.
So far, the entertainment value of these are fairly high, but I have to say the same thing about the negative reviews. They are a riot to read. I laugh because I actually agree with their grievances, but apparently it hasn't sucked the joy out of these books....at least not yet anyway.
June 15, 2022
'The Laughing Corpse' by Laurell K. Hamilton, the second in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, is exciting hardcore horror!
Anita Blake is a badass slayer heroine in a dark fantasy world where vampires, witches, zombies and ghouls live (sort of live, being dead, right?) among humans, set in an alternate modern America. She is known as an animator of anything dead. She also graduated from college with a degree in biology, and she lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
Yeah, this series is full of dark noir snark and satirical touches.
In the first novel, Guilty Pleasures, Anita fights vampires. In 'The Laughing Corpse' Anita is drawn into several plots involving zombies. I must say the world building in this series is intricate, detailed, fascinating and logical, even when the author is mixing into the traditional horror elements of these paranormal creatures her newly invented ones! The vampires have rigid intricate rules they must live by, and surprisingly, so do zombies! They are not entirely only mindless eaters of living flesh. Ok, mostly they are, including in this series, but the author has "fleshed them out". So to speak.
I have copied the book blurb because it is accurate:
"Harold Gaynor offers Anita Blake a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old zombie. Knowing it means a human sacrifice will be necessary, Anita turns him down. But when dead bodies start turning up, she realizes that someone else has raised Harold's zombie--and that the zombie is a killer. Anita pits her power against the zombie and the voodoo priestess who controls it.
In The Laughing Corpse Anita will learn that there are some secrets better left buried-and some people better off dead..."
As much as I enjoy the vicarious thrill of riding invisibly on Anita's shoulder while she massacres extremely wicked people (and other creatures, like the vampires, ghouls and zombies), these novels are incredibly gory. If you have ever spent a Saturday watching SyFy horror movies, just imagine reading on the page in words the many televised scenes of disembowelments in a Leatherface movie, or heads popping in a telepathy-horror pic, or an actor being torn limb from limb in a Sharknado movie. In fact, author Hamilton might be worse than Stephen King in writing a graphic description of horrible maiming and killing. Gentle reader, skimming is a useful skill. However, these books definitely have loads of charmingly powerful schadenfreude. Anita is a good person, and her enemies deserve her wrath! Still, I can tell I have to be in the right mood for an Anita Blake novel. She goes to war against the bad guys, no holds barred.
Anita Blake is a badass slayer heroine in a dark fantasy world where vampires, witches, zombies and ghouls live (sort of live, being dead, right?) among humans, set in an alternate modern America. She is known as an animator of anything dead. She also graduated from college with a degree in biology, and she lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
Yeah, this series is full of dark noir snark and satirical touches.
In the first novel, Guilty Pleasures, Anita fights vampires. In 'The Laughing Corpse' Anita is drawn into several plots involving zombies. I must say the world building in this series is intricate, detailed, fascinating and logical, even when the author is mixing into the traditional horror elements of these paranormal creatures her newly invented ones! The vampires have rigid intricate rules they must live by, and surprisingly, so do zombies! They are not entirely only mindless eaters of living flesh. Ok, mostly they are, including in this series, but the author has "fleshed them out". So to speak.
I have copied the book blurb because it is accurate:
"Harold Gaynor offers Anita Blake a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old zombie. Knowing it means a human sacrifice will be necessary, Anita turns him down. But when dead bodies start turning up, she realizes that someone else has raised Harold's zombie--and that the zombie is a killer. Anita pits her power against the zombie and the voodoo priestess who controls it.
In The Laughing Corpse Anita will learn that there are some secrets better left buried-and some people better off dead..."
As much as I enjoy the vicarious thrill of riding invisibly on Anita's shoulder while she massacres extremely wicked people (and other creatures, like the vampires, ghouls and zombies), these novels are incredibly gory. If you have ever spent a Saturday watching SyFy horror movies, just imagine reading on the page in words the many televised scenes of disembowelments in a Leatherface movie, or heads popping in a telepathy-horror pic, or an actor being torn limb from limb in a Sharknado movie. In fact, author Hamilton might be worse than Stephen King in writing a graphic description of horrible maiming and killing. Gentle reader, skimming is a useful skill. However, these books definitely have loads of charmingly powerful schadenfreude. Anita is a good person, and her enemies deserve her wrath! Still, I can tell I have to be in the right mood for an Anita Blake novel. She goes to war against the bad guys, no holds barred.
August 5, 2019
After reading Guilty Pleasures and falling hook, line, and sinker into the Anita Blake world, I eagerly rushed forward to devour the second offering. The Laughing Corpse digs deeper into Blake’s world, shows off more of Jean-Claude, Ronnie, and the polices characters.
As always, Anita is surrounded by problems with no immediate, easy solution in sight. Emphasis isn’t placed heavily on her vampire slaying, more with her job as an animator. The suspense and story is strong from the beginning; action begins immediately and never lets up. The ending is one of the strongest out of the series, nearly knocking me to the floor with its intensity.
The voodoo priest as the villain is also one of my favorites out of every book. She’s dark, creepy, and as evil as they come – her showdowns with Anita were brilliant.
Jean-Claude still isn’t shown much, which is a shame. The chemistry between him and Anita is amazing; Hamilton plays up on it heavily and it’s always thrilling to me, in more ways than one, to read their exchanges. This time around Jean-Claude wants something else from Anita (I won’t give away spoilers) and seeing her run from it is great fun.
Hamilton consistently writes with a light, humorous hand while dealing with dark, depressing material. The characters she has written about are strong, unique in their own ways, and goal-driven.
I enjoyed this one even more than the first – it keeps getting better, not an easy feat to pull off. I can’t find much fault with it, great stuff. The Anita Blakes are also rich in mystery; it somehow manages to come together at the end, remaining secretive and mysterious throughout the novel.
The gore is pretty heavy, particularly the death scenes. Another big thumbs up for this book.
A definite recommendation for a sequel just be sure to start at the beginning in order to keep up to date.
As always, Anita is surrounded by problems with no immediate, easy solution in sight. Emphasis isn’t placed heavily on her vampire slaying, more with her job as an animator. The suspense and story is strong from the beginning; action begins immediately and never lets up. The ending is one of the strongest out of the series, nearly knocking me to the floor with its intensity.
The voodoo priest as the villain is also one of my favorites out of every book. She’s dark, creepy, and as evil as they come – her showdowns with Anita were brilliant.
Jean-Claude still isn’t shown much, which is a shame. The chemistry between him and Anita is amazing; Hamilton plays up on it heavily and it’s always thrilling to me, in more ways than one, to read their exchanges. This time around Jean-Claude wants something else from Anita (I won’t give away spoilers) and seeing her run from it is great fun.
Hamilton consistently writes with a light, humorous hand while dealing with dark, depressing material. The characters she has written about are strong, unique in their own ways, and goal-driven.
I enjoyed this one even more than the first – it keeps getting better, not an easy feat to pull off. I can’t find much fault with it, great stuff. The Anita Blakes are also rich in mystery; it somehow manages to come together at the end, remaining secretive and mysterious throughout the novel.
The gore is pretty heavy, particularly the death scenes. Another big thumbs up for this book.
A definite recommendation for a sequel just be sure to start at the beginning in order to keep up to date.
September 6, 2019
I'd been hesitant to read one of these, despite rave reviews by people I trust - I'm not much of a fantasy reader, & we're talking vampires, zombies and werewolves here. Well, folks, what we *really* have is a book in the class of the Harold Shea books - one that bends genres and transcends them. I'm not even really going to review the book . . . .
Let me back off a moment, & tell you what I usually read. I'm in the mining business, educated as a geologist & chemist. I like my SF hard, & I'm uncomfortable with gore. So why would I like (let alone rave about) a vampire book with (literally) buckets of blood? Hint - it's probably not the scene where, as a joke, Anita tosses a cop the severed hand from a dismembered infant...
It could be the scene where Anita (5'2", 102#) disarms a large rapist by sticking her derringer in his crotch & threatening to blow his balls off...
Anita's hard-boiled alright, but she's an uneasy executioner, a necromancer with scruples, even a soft touch sometimes - she tries to give a pretty prostitute a bus ticket out of town to "start over" (the whore laughs in her face). The gore is an integral part of the story, & the supernatural is treated as just a part of everyday, late 20th C. life - as alternate history, really (I don't usually like alt hist either). I'm reminded somewhat of S.M. Stirling's Gwen in "The Drakon" (another
A+ book) - though Gwen is more cheerful at work. If nothing else, this one will lay to rest any lingering thoughts that women can't be as bloody-minded as men. Highly recommended.
[Review written 1997; lightly revised 2019. My, how time flies!]
Let me back off a moment, & tell you what I usually read. I'm in the mining business, educated as a geologist & chemist. I like my SF hard, & I'm uncomfortable with gore. So why would I like (let alone rave about) a vampire book with (literally) buckets of blood? Hint - it's probably not the scene where, as a joke, Anita tosses a cop the severed hand from a dismembered infant...
It could be the scene where Anita (5'2", 102#) disarms a large rapist by sticking her derringer in his crotch & threatening to blow his balls off...
Anita's hard-boiled alright, but she's an uneasy executioner, a necromancer with scruples, even a soft touch sometimes - she tries to give a pretty prostitute a bus ticket out of town to "start over" (the whore laughs in her face). The gore is an integral part of the story, & the supernatural is treated as just a part of everyday, late 20th C. life - as alternate history, really (I don't usually like alt hist either). I'm reminded somewhat of S.M. Stirling's Gwen in "The Drakon" (another
A+ book) - though Gwen is more cheerful at work. If nothing else, this one will lay to rest any lingering thoughts that women can't be as bloody-minded as men. Highly recommended.
[Review written 1997; lightly revised 2019. My, how time flies!]
May 7, 2019
¿Y POR QUÉ NO SON 5 ESTRELLAS?
Mira que sigue con las virtudes del primero de la saga, mira que además no mete tanta imaginación erótico-festiva con el Jean Nosequé ese, rey de los vampiros de New Orleans y que está más bueno que el pan con tumaca, mira que el lenguaje sigue siendo lo mejor, lo más refrescante, agil y desenfadado, mira que tiene humor, situaciones y personajes divertidos y logrados…
¿Y por qué no la quinta?¿Qué le falla? Una cosa pequeñita pero que me ralló mucho: que la resolución de la trama detectivesca me pareció que la liquidaba en un pis-pás. Y como sé que esto es muy subjetivo le podríamos poner la quinta estrella y no pasaba nada. Como al anterior le puse cuatro casi que ser��a más justo darle a este la quinta. Pero bueno, le dejo así, sabiendo que soy un poco tacaño.
En serio, si queréis leer algo ameno sobre muertos (…frase rara que me ha quedado) dadle una oportunidad a esta saga. Si sois de novelas YA fijo que os gusta (aunque esta no lo sea).
Thanks a elchamaco por la descubrirme la saga en su día.
P.D: Si no he empezado con el tercero inmediatamente era porque no le tenía carga do en el kindle. Ahora ya lo tengo. Caerá en breve.
Mira que sigue con las virtudes del primero de la saga, mira que además no mete tanta imaginación erótico-festiva con el Jean Nosequé ese, rey de los vampiros de New Orleans y que está más bueno que el pan con tumaca, mira que el lenguaje sigue siendo lo mejor, lo más refrescante, agil y desenfadado, mira que tiene humor, situaciones y personajes divertidos y logrados…
¿Y por qué no la quinta?¿Qué le falla? Una cosa pequeñita pero que me ralló mucho: que la resolución de la trama detectivesca me pareció que la liquidaba en un pis-pás. Y como sé que esto es muy subjetivo le podríamos poner la quinta estrella y no pasaba nada. Como al anterior le puse cuatro casi que ser��a más justo darle a este la quinta. Pero bueno, le dejo así, sabiendo que soy un poco tacaño.
En serio, si queréis leer algo ameno sobre muertos (…frase rara que me ha quedado) dadle una oportunidad a esta saga. Si sois de novelas YA fijo que os gusta (aunque esta no lo sea).
Thanks a elchamaco por la descubrirme la saga en su día.
P.D: Si no he empezado con el tercero inmediatamente era porque no le tenía carga do en el kindle. Ahora ya lo tengo. Caerá en breve.
September 15, 2014
Anita Blake receives an offer to raise a 280 year old Zombie. But such a raising would require a human sacrifice, and Anita draws the line there. Dolph then summons her to the grisly scene of a crime--the remains of a family. Anita must now find the killer...before anyone else dies.
Even though I didn't care for either the novel or the graphic novel of Guilty Pleasures, I decided to give this series another chance. I am glad I did, because this book was a lot more enjoyable than the previous book was.
Anita Blake comes off far more likeable this time around. Sure, the chip on her shoulder threatens to devour her small frame, she could definitely use some anger management, and she has some views that seem a bit harsh (such as her angry tirade when a man wants to let his wife know what he will be doing late at night and how he is basically being pansy-whipped), but I at least cared about what happened to her. I also started to get some understanding of her background, of her beliefs, and of her struggles between what she does and how she justifies it to herself.
The character list is much shorter this time around too, which helped me get more acquainted with some background characters. I continue to adore Ronnie, and I even have a new favorite character: Manny. That guy was totally awesome. Burt, Anita's boss, was bland, Gainer was pretty meh, Dominga was interesting (but I didn't like what happened to her), and Wheelchair Wanda wasn't too bad. Jean-Claude definitely has the sex appeal down pat, though I can't really say there was anything that really jumped out at me about him. He feels a lot like arm candy for Anita--he likes her because she hates him and that's where the Unresolved Sexual Tension comes from. Of course, there have been FAR WORSE male romantic interests out there, who have absolutely NO chemistry with the leading lady, so I don't want to give the impression that I despise him. Just that I can't see his purpose very clearly.
One thing I didn't like about the characters was the racial stereotyping and the sexism. The male police officers sexually harass Anita--and no one does anything. Not acceptable. A Latina woman bemoans how Anita makes enough money to take care of herself and thus not make her want to find a man. All bodyguards are beefy and somewhat brainless; blondes tend to be stupid and airheads (unless they are Ronnie). After awhile, I wanted to start apologizing for their portrayal.
The story this time around was told in a much cleaner, more traditional format that made it much easier for me to follow. Anita gets client, refuses offer. Police call her to scene, she starts to investigate. Makes sense. However, Anita still did very little investigating on the murder case. She did investigate why Gainer was after her, but that plotline almost dominated. In fact, Anita spent so much time on the Gainer plot that a total of THREE families were brutally murdered. Of course, her own life is important, but Anita spent WAY more time about something she WASN'T getting paid for. Seemed weird. She also spends WAY too much time yakking it up with Jean-Claude, getting him to explain the whole human servant thing and then having him escort her around the Tenderloin (which I couldn't help but snicker and yell, "STEAK!" at).
The writing is serviceable, but certainly nothing to write home about. LKH has this tendency to latch onto certain words and repeat them over...and over...and over. Here are a few excerpts:
And then we have the gore. I didn't mention it last book because it wasn't that noteworthy, but this time around, WOWEE, there is a lot of blood and guts. We get description of at least THREE grisly death scenes and at least one has a child brutally mauled. We have Anita fighting, and she fights dirty at times. Do not read while eating or if you are mild of stomach.
This is definitely an improvement over "Guilty Pleasures", which I thought was rambling and centered more on Anita avoiding death than investigating anything. Sure, this has loads of problems, but they are a quick read/listen and it wasn't too bad. I might check out a few more and see where to go from there.
Even though I didn't care for either the novel or the graphic novel of Guilty Pleasures, I decided to give this series another chance. I am glad I did, because this book was a lot more enjoyable than the previous book was.
Anita Blake comes off far more likeable this time around. Sure, the chip on her shoulder threatens to devour her small frame, she could definitely use some anger management, and she has some views that seem a bit harsh (such as her angry tirade when a man wants to let his wife know what he will be doing late at night and how he is basically being pansy-whipped), but I at least cared about what happened to her. I also started to get some understanding of her background, of her beliefs, and of her struggles between what she does and how she justifies it to herself.
The character list is much shorter this time around too, which helped me get more acquainted with some background characters. I continue to adore Ronnie, and I even have a new favorite character: Manny. That guy was totally awesome. Burt, Anita's boss, was bland, Gainer was pretty meh, Dominga was interesting (but I didn't like what happened to her), and Wheelchair Wanda wasn't too bad. Jean-Claude definitely has the sex appeal down pat, though I can't really say there was anything that really jumped out at me about him. He feels a lot like arm candy for Anita--he likes her because she hates him and that's where the Unresolved Sexual Tension comes from. Of course, there have been FAR WORSE male romantic interests out there, who have absolutely NO chemistry with the leading lady, so I don't want to give the impression that I despise him. Just that I can't see his purpose very clearly.
One thing I didn't like about the characters was the racial stereotyping and the sexism. The male police officers sexually harass Anita--and no one does anything. Not acceptable. A Latina woman bemoans how Anita makes enough money to take care of herself and thus not make her want to find a man. All bodyguards are beefy and somewhat brainless; blondes tend to be stupid and airheads (unless they are Ronnie). After awhile, I wanted to start apologizing for their portrayal.
The story this time around was told in a much cleaner, more traditional format that made it much easier for me to follow. Anita gets client, refuses offer. Police call her to scene, she starts to investigate. Makes sense. However, Anita still did very little investigating on the murder case. She did investigate why Gainer was after her, but that plotline almost dominated. In fact, Anita spent so much time on the Gainer plot that a total of THREE families were brutally murdered. Of course, her own life is important, but Anita spent WAY more time about something she WASN'T getting paid for. Seemed weird. She also spends WAY too much time yakking it up with Jean-Claude, getting him to explain the whole human servant thing and then having him escort her around the Tenderloin (which I couldn't help but snicker and yell, "STEAK!" at).
The writing is serviceable, but certainly nothing to write home about. LKH has this tendency to latch onto certain words and repeat them over...and over...and over. Here are a few excerpts:
"She had meant to kill me…Why kill me? I couldn't stop her legally; she knew that. So why make such a damned serious attempt to kill me? Dominga had given her word she hadn’t raised the killer zombie…she had something to do with the killer zombie…she’d raised the beast or why kill me the night after I talked to her?...She wouldn't just raise a killer zombie and let it loose."
"He stood in front of me, hands at his sides. He stood very still. Snakes or birds can stand utterly still, but even a snake has a sense of aliveness...Jean-Claude stood there with no sense of anything."
"I lifted the hand from the carpet...I wouldn't really have thrown the hand. I wouldn't. I cradled the tiny hand in my hands. It felt heavy, as if the fingers should curl around my hand...I dropped the hand on the carpet."
“I decided to take the beating…I was going to get beat up, not pleasant, but I had made my mind up to take the beating…if my choices were A) getting beat up or B) performing human sacrifice, I’d take the beating.”
And then we have the gore. I didn't mention it last book because it wasn't that noteworthy, but this time around, WOWEE, there is a lot of blood and guts. We get description of at least THREE grisly death scenes and at least one has a child brutally mauled. We have Anita fighting, and she fights dirty at times. Do not read while eating or if you are mild of stomach.
This is definitely an improvement over "Guilty Pleasures", which I thought was rambling and centered more on Anita avoiding death than investigating anything. Sure, this has loads of problems, but they are a quick read/listen and it wasn't too bad. I might check out a few more and see where to go from there.
April 21, 2019
If I ever meet a Voodoo Priest I think I would faint or run probably run. This Priestess is freaking NUTS!
Ok so some of the gross crime scenes freaked me out but the one where they made a bet to see who would get sick first was the grossest.
We learn just how powerful Anita is, I am loving this part and her humor I think a lot of people “think” they know how powerful she is but they don’t know and I kind of think she doesn’t even know.
The ending is interesting, to say the least.
I enjoyed Kimberly’s performance.
Ok so some of the gross crime scenes freaked me out but the one where they made a bet to see who would get sick first was the grossest.
We learn just how powerful Anita is, I am loving this part and her humor I think a lot of people “think” they know how powerful she is but they don’t know and I kind of think she doesn’t even know.
The ending is interesting, to say the least.
I enjoyed Kimberly’s performance.
January 30, 2016
What a rush!!!
I'm officially part of the Anita Blake fan club. I would love to see this on TV (it would be terribly gory, even worse that The Walking Dead, I'd have to skip those parts, I have a weak stomach).
Anita Blake is once again in trouble, this time she has to deal with some kind of meat-eating zombie, she doesn't really know what it is, and she fears it may be the worst thing she will ever have to catch. This monster ate a family of three members, leaving only blood splattered everywhere and a few half-eaten remains (yum!).
She also gets another job proposal, this time from a very dangerous man called Harold Gaynor, who offers her a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old corpse. However, to raise a dead body this old she must sacrifice a "white goat", aka a human being. Evidently she refuses to do so, as it breaks all moral codes she has. Gaynor doesn't take her refusal well. (let's keep it that way)
The third person who threatens Anita's life is the voodoo priestess Senora Dominga Salvador, a very dangerous woman who Anita suspects has had a hand in raising the zombie who's been murdering families. Dominga Salvador wishes to train her, to make Anita reach her true potential. Again, Anita refuses to have anything to do with her, especially after she sees what Dominga has hidden in her basement.
Also, there is still the remaining problem with vampire Master hottie, Jean-Claude who wants Anita to become his human slave.
Trust me guys, there a lot of wtf/mind-blowing moments...
Again, I really enjoyed myself, LKH is a master at keeping me thoroughly addicted and at the same time completely grossed out. This series is definitely not your cup of tea if you don't like to read stuff about corpses getting eaten or ripped apart, as these kind of things tend to happen a lot.
All I can say is that I will keep reading, I can't stop now, I literally can't stop flipping the pages!
I'm officially part of the Anita Blake fan club. I would love to see this on TV (it would be terribly gory, even worse that The Walking Dead, I'd have to skip those parts, I have a weak stomach).
Anita Blake is once again in trouble, this time she has to deal with some kind of meat-eating zombie, she doesn't really know what it is, and she fears it may be the worst thing she will ever have to catch. This monster ate a family of three members, leaving only blood splattered everywhere and a few half-eaten remains (yum!).
She also gets another job proposal, this time from a very dangerous man called Harold Gaynor, who offers her a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old corpse. However, to raise a dead body this old she must sacrifice a "white goat", aka a human being. Evidently she refuses to do so, as it breaks all moral codes she has. Gaynor doesn't take her refusal well. (let's keep it that way)
The third person who threatens Anita's life is the voodoo priestess Senora Dominga Salvador, a very dangerous woman who Anita suspects has had a hand in raising the zombie who's been murdering families. Dominga Salvador wishes to train her, to make Anita reach her true potential. Again, Anita refuses to have anything to do with her, especially after she sees what Dominga has hidden in her basement.
Also, there is still the remaining problem with vampire Master hottie, Jean-Claude who wants Anita to become his human slave.
Trust me guys, there a lot of wtf/mind-blowing moments...
Again, I really enjoyed myself, LKH is a master at keeping me thoroughly addicted and at the same time completely grossed out. This series is definitely not your cup of tea if you don't like to read stuff about corpses getting eaten or ripped apart, as these kind of things tend to happen a lot.
All I can say is that I will keep reading, I can't stop now, I literally can't stop flipping the pages!
September 5, 2019
Caution: here be potty words! ;)
Anita Blake books are always fun reads for me. I don't have to do any heavy thinking. I can just sit back and enjoy the ride. These books were written in the early '90s and I really enjoy reading about Anita's pager and how every time it goes off she has to race to find a pay phone! If that isn't enough, she actually wears a fanny pack in this book. How can you not love that?
I love Anita because she is so fucking kick ass! She knows her weapons, can kill things that are already dead, tends to have bigger balls than all the men around her, and she is only 5'3!!!
I love sarcasm, but sometimes Anita lays it on so thick that she comes off as a bitch, but I still love her.
Zilch sex in this one, but a mega shit ton of gore!
My one gripe is that Anita is 5'3, 106 pounds, AND has ginormous boobs! What the fuck are you smokin', LKH? More importantly, where can I get my hands on some of that shit? I hate to be a Debbie Downer here, but I think this may be a wee bit unrealistic...
***2019 REVIEW***
Holy crap!! It's been seven years exactly since I last read this??? That's so weird and bizarre and totally unplanned so kinda creepy!!
I still think this is a solid five stars. This series is just really entertaining, and I love it. Again, the audiobook is not my favorite, but I can get over that, especially since it made my last long car trip way more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise!
Anita Blake books are always fun reads for me. I don't have to do any heavy thinking. I can just sit back and enjoy the ride. These books were written in the early '90s and I really enjoy reading about Anita's pager and how every time it goes off she has to race to find a pay phone! If that isn't enough, she actually wears a fanny pack in this book. How can you not love that?
I love Anita because she is so fucking kick ass! She knows her weapons, can kill things that are already dead, tends to have bigger balls than all the men around her, and she is only 5'3!!!
I love sarcasm, but sometimes Anita lays it on so thick that she comes off as a bitch, but I still love her.
Zilch sex in this one, but a mega shit ton of gore!
My one gripe is that Anita is 5'3, 106 pounds, AND has ginormous boobs! What the fuck are you smokin', LKH? More importantly, where can I get my hands on some of that shit? I hate to be a Debbie Downer here, but I think this may be a wee bit unrealistic...
***2019 REVIEW***
Holy crap!! It's been seven years exactly since I last read this??? That's so weird and bizarre and totally unplanned so kinda creepy!!
I still think this is a solid five stars. This series is just really entertaining, and I love it. Again, the audiobook is not my favorite, but I can get over that, especially since it made my last long car trip way more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise!
June 12, 2024
I have read all of the Anita Blake series and The Laughing Corpse is the second book in the series. Again it is really great entertainment. I enjoy all the characters and the plot. Anita comes into more powers by being Jean Claude's human servant so you get to see that and also her zombie-raising skills come into play. The second book is definitely one of the good ones.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2017
I forgot how much I loved the beginning of this series. More action and blood and guts and -
JEAN-CLAUDE.
March 13, 2022
This one aged a bit worse than the first book in the series (from the slurs, to the framing of sex work and beyond) and Anita ist still very much a judgmental asshole. But, that climax, her powers, yes please. The sexual tension is also getting to me so I guess I am all in now.
July 18, 2018
Ok this series just turned bloody brilliant I mean.....
I didn't want it to finish need MORE!!!!!
The audio I been listening to is fantastic too..... I get that old 80's horror music whenever something scary is about to happen or someone is giving chase, it really gave me the creeps.... I mean the Zombies in this were freakin scary if Anita wasn't controlling them! sometimes even when she did.
This story opens even more possibilities and doors I could ever imagine... wow on this Authors imagination....
Also it made me really feel like I knew and respected side characters like Dolfe, Jean Claude swoon... though he Does scare me a bit tbh... when Anita constantly mentions his stillness comparing it to a snake (makes me think of them watching you before they strike.....) Hamilton paints such a vivid picture about every character (sometimes bone chilling)
I am officially scared but its the first book in a long time to do that..... so I'm gonna read some fluff before starting book 3... but cant wait......
I didn't want it to finish need MORE!!!!!
The audio I been listening to is fantastic too..... I get that old 80's horror music whenever something scary is about to happen or someone is giving chase, it really gave me the creeps.... I mean the Zombies in this were freakin scary if Anita wasn't controlling them! sometimes even when she did.
This story opens even more possibilities and doors I could ever imagine... wow on this Authors imagination....
Also it made me really feel like I knew and respected side characters like Dolfe, Jean Claude swoon... though he Does scare me a bit tbh... when Anita constantly mentions his stillness comparing it to a snake (makes me think of them watching you before they strike.....) Hamilton paints such a vivid picture about every character (sometimes bone chilling)
I am officially scared but its the first book in a long time to do that..... so I'm gonna read some fluff before starting book 3... but cant wait......
June 19, 2017
Doing a re-read after years away from the series, and after quitting the series about 10 books in. Interested to see if I want to keep going this time, now that I know that things fall apart a little romance-wise later on, rather than going in with hopes of happy endings!
July 22, 2023
After finding much left wanting in the first book, I wasn't sure what to think about this series, but I am glad that I gave the series another chance.
The biggest issue in this one was that the flow from the first book into this one seemed disjointed. This could have almost been a true book one, and we could have skipped most of the prior novel as a prequel.
The Laughing Corpse solved many of the problems I had with Guilty Pleasures. There weren't as many cringe moments, and the editing seemed much better accomplished.
The plotline was more detailed and entertaining, and the characters had more depth and personality. It was easier to see the longevity of the series here. Fight scenes were much more entertaining, and the dialogue was more enjoyable.
Solid 4 Stars.
The biggest issue in this one was that the flow from the first book into this one seemed disjointed. This could have almost been a true book one, and we could have skipped most of the prior novel as a prequel.
The Laughing Corpse solved many of the problems I had with Guilty Pleasures. There weren't as many cringe moments, and the editing seemed much better accomplished.
The plotline was more detailed and entertaining, and the characters had more depth and personality. It was easier to see the longevity of the series here. Fight scenes were much more entertaining, and the dialogue was more enjoyable.
Solid 4 Stars.
March 30, 2016
I shouldn't have waited so long to read this book after finishing book 1. I had a difficult time remembering all the secondary characters. But luckily despite that I still enjoyed this book. What I did not enjoy was all the sound effects in the audiobook. They were loud and annoying and distracted from the narration. I could barely hear the narrator! The only thing the sound effects managed to do was give me a headache. If the narrator is good enough they can build suspense with just a change in their voice. No sound effects needed.
May 23, 2024
Second in the series and even more violent than the last one. I like a creepy book every now and then and this sure fits the bill, but couldn't read too many of them in a row... too much gore, too much unbelievable gum-shoe, hard boiled but in a hot chick body musings and too many close calls.
(Reviewed 7/25/09)
(Reviewed 7/25/09)
January 27, 2021
”“I am an animator. I am the Executioner. But now I know I’m something else. The one thing my Grandmother Flores feared most. I am a necromancer. The dead are my specialty.”
4 stars. This was so much better than book one. What a fun ride from beginning to end. This book had me absolutely hooked from the start. Anita goes through some solid character development so she doesn’t feel as robotic as she did in the last book. She has emotions and reacts to things which was great.
The world building in this series is so good and it’s only book two. I can’t imagine how much it expands as the series goes on. The writing is addictive and there’s so many awesome action scenes in this, especially towards the end. Anita Blake is a bad ass and I’m glad I’m warming up to her.
Also, Jean Claude—Master of the Vampires, has the potential to be put on my book boyfriend list. I really like him and despite what Anita says, she’s feeling him as well so I’m excited to see how their relationship eventually develops.
Overall, this was an excellent sequel and I’m excited to continue on.
4 stars. This was so much better than book one. What a fun ride from beginning to end. This book had me absolutely hooked from the start. Anita goes through some solid character development so she doesn’t feel as robotic as she did in the last book. She has emotions and reacts to things which was great.
The world building in this series is so good and it’s only book two. I can’t imagine how much it expands as the series goes on. The writing is addictive and there’s so many awesome action scenes in this, especially towards the end. Anita Blake is a bad ass and I’m glad I’m warming up to her.
Also, Jean Claude—Master of the Vampires, has the potential to be put on my book boyfriend list. I really like him and despite what Anita says, she’s feeling him as well so I’m excited to see how their relationship eventually develops.
Overall, this was an excellent sequel and I’m excited to continue on.
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May 15, 2024Spoilers: This is the one that is very procedural + police case driven, very little vampires, all zombies and animators + Dominga the zombie queen. Its the rogue zombie killing people that ends up being a former animator raised from the dead.
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January 25, 2010
As I reread this series I am aware of just how much it has changed and mutated into something completely different from the original books. The Laughing Corpse is book #2 and focuses almost completely on Anita's zombie raising duties and her job helping the police on Spook Squad. This book is horribly gory and disturbing. I originally read it back before I had children and am relieved that I didn't attempt to read it when they were toddlers. That's all I'm sayin'.
In this book, Anita is called in to help with a murder investigation. A family has been attacked and it appears it is the work of some sort of up hyped up super zombie. While investigating the case Anita is being pressured to raise a long dead zombie for a million or so bucks. She refuses because she'd have to sacrifice a human in order to do so. This Anita has morals and she's sticking to them.
There is a lot of action here but way too much description when it comes to Anita's guns (snore) and attire. Seriously, are there readers out there who really care what color the "swishies" are on her many pairs of Nike's?
Jean-Claude makes a few appearances and attempts to seduce her with his other-worldly eyes and puffy shirts but this Anita still kills vamps and doesn't date them. Many characters are introduced here that I don't remember. Anita has quite a few girlfriends, sidekicks and co-workers who disappear in the later books.
Despite my complaining I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It's very morbid but has the dark-edged wit that the later books are lacking.
In this book, Anita is called in to help with a murder investigation. A family has been attacked and it appears it is the work of some sort of up hyped up super zombie. While investigating the case Anita is being pressured to raise a long dead zombie for a million or so bucks. She refuses because she'd have to sacrifice a human in order to do so. This Anita has morals and she's sticking to them.
There is a lot of action here but way too much description when it comes to Anita's guns (snore) and attire. Seriously, are there readers out there who really care what color the "swishies" are on her many pairs of Nike's?
Jean-Claude makes a few appearances and attempts to seduce her with his other-worldly eyes and puffy shirts but this Anita still kills vamps and doesn't date them. Many characters are introduced here that I don't remember. Anita has quite a few girlfriends, sidekicks and co-workers who disappear in the later books.
Despite my complaining I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It's very morbid but has the dark-edged wit that the later books are lacking.
December 15, 2009
I know a lot of people love the Anita Blake series, but I don't think I'll be one of them. I really dislike the main character. Why must I read over and over again that she's just so tiny and petite and yet tougher than she looks? Once per book would be way too much and it's in at least every other chapter. And why do I care what she's wearing? Anita is not likable. I understand that later on in the series she turns rather slutty, and I'm thinking I might just skip ahead to those books, if I read any more at all, just because that would at least be entertaining. I can't imagine her falling for anyone other than herself, though. The gory scenes are pretty gross and disturbing, as they should be I guess. Did the monster really have to gut a little boy though? Children are usually off limits in these kinds of books. I'm glad I didn't order the next book at the same time I ordered this one or I'd feel compelled to read it. I think I'll just move on.
December 30, 2009
Whoever said that the Anita Blake books just get better as you go was wrong. This was far worse than the first mediocre book in this series, and the only redeeming factor was the last third. The beginning was so boring, in fact, that it couldn't hold my interest long enough for me to read more than a few pages at a time.
I only hope that this series starts looking up, because my brother bought the first eight or so books, and it feels like such a terrible waste not to read them, since he never did.
Slow paced, dumb, and quite lacking in motives where most of the characters are concerned, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone with a lack of patience. Or, for the matter, a ton of it. The book sucked, plain and simple, and both stars were for the last third, with the exception of the ending, which sucked almost as much as the beginning.
And for a book about vampires, there was a startling lack thereof.
I only hope that this series starts looking up, because my brother bought the first eight or so books, and it feels like such a terrible waste not to read them, since he never did.
Slow paced, dumb, and quite lacking in motives where most of the characters are concerned, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone with a lack of patience. Or, for the matter, a ton of it. The book sucked, plain and simple, and both stars were for the last third, with the exception of the ending, which sucked almost as much as the beginning.
And for a book about vampires, there was a startling lack thereof.
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